Improvement in cracker-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J; PARR. I

HACKER-MACHINE. Y

Patented Nov. 9',A .1875" 2Sheets-Sheet2- J. PARE.

emana-MACHINE. No.169,834. Patented Nov. 9,1875.

l A, l l

N PETERS vFHOTQ LITNOGRAPHER WASHINGTON D C l About midway UNITED STATESJOSEPH PARE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORITO LYDIA ANN MGOOLLUM,

PATENT rtree.

EXEOUTRIX vOF THE ESTATE OF JOHN MGOOLLUM, DEOEASED.

IMPROVEMENT IN CRACKER-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,834, dated November9, r1875; application filed July l, 1875.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH PARE, of New York, in the county and State ofNew York, have invented certain Improvements in Cracker-Machines 5 and Ido'hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription ofthe same, reference being had to thc accompanying drawing,which forms part of this specification.

l My invention consists, irst, in a novel combination and arrangement ofdevices whereby the bed-plate may be readily raised and low ered toaccommodate it to cutters of different lengths, to compensate for wearof the cutters, or to regulate the pressure thereof 5 also, in a novelconstruction and arrangement of the crimping-roller, and of the lingersand connections, lwhereby insured, and, further, in a novel arrangementand combination of mechanism for operating the endless aprons, wherebytheir operation is simplified and their efficiency insured.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure lis a side view of a machineconstructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same.Fig. 3 is a view of the side opposite` to that shown in Fig.-l. Fig. 4is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 5 is asectional View of thebed-plate and cutters, than shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section of thesame, transversely of the machine. 7 is a detail View of thecutter-frame.

AThe working parts .of the machine are arranged in a frame-work, A,which is of any suitable construction, and is provided with endlessaprons A1 A2 A3 A4, arranged in the usual manner, for conveying thedough, the crackers, and the scrap through the machine. of the length ofthe machine the bed-plate is located, and immediately over it thecutter-frame is arranged in vertical ways, and provided with mechanismfor imparting to it a vertical reciprocating motion. The bedplateB isarranged transversely of the machine, with each of its ends between twovertical ways or guides, consisting of lugs or ribs b, extending inwardfrom the side pieces of the frame. Immediately under the bed-plate B isanother. plate,vB2, of thesame size and shape,

their proper operation is on a larger scale' Fig.V

and arranged between the guides b. Between these two plates, near theirends, are two strips of rubber, a, which may lie in grooves` formed inthe plates, to prevent their displacement. The thickness of lthe rubberstrips is such as to separate the two plates very slightly, and onlysufficient to impart a certain degree of elasticity to the bed-plate,and allow it to yield slightly under the pressure of the cutters. Thetwo plates may be connected together by bolts, which may work freely inone of the plates, so as to allow it to rise` and fall independently ofthe other. Immediately under the plate B2 is a bar, C, at each end ofwhich is a cross-head, GX. The upper surfaces of the cross-heads arehorizontal, and parallel with the lower sideof the plate B2. The lowersurfaces of the cross-heads are inclined from a horizontal line, andrest upon the upper surfaces of two projecting ribs or bars, D,extending inward from the side pieces of the frame A, one on each side.The lower surfaces ofthe ribs or bars D may be horizontal, andparallelwith the surfaces of the plates B B2; but their upper surfacesform inclined planes running in a contrary direction to the inclinedlower surfaces of the cross-heads, so that when said cross-heads are inplace on said inclined planes the'upper surface of the bed-plate is in ahorizontali position. On two opposite edges of the plate B2, midwaybetween its ends, are two perforated lugs, b2 b2, extending downward;and .on the bar O, midway of its length, and inline with the lugs b2,

is a screw-threaded lug or. nut, cx. A screw threaded rod, E, passes`through the lugs b2 and nut c", in said lugs, but is secured againstlongitudin'al motion by means of a milled head or knob, f, at one end,outside of one of the lugs, and a pin or collar and set-screw, or othersuitable device, at the other end, outside of the other lug, while thescrew-threaded portion engages with the nut cx.

By turning the screw E in one the bar C is drawn toward oneend of themachine, causing the cross-heads Gx to travel upward on the inclinedplanes D, and raise the bed-plate B to the desired height. By

and is arranged to revolve freely direction,

' one above another.

ters of different lengths, or to compensate for wear of the cutters, orto regulate the amount of pressure.

The bed-plate is usually so adjusted with relation to the cutter-framethat .the contact of the cutters with the bed-plate takes place justbefore they have reached the termination of their downward stroke, sothat after the crackers are cut, the edges of the cutters remain a shorttime in contact with the bed before commencing their upward stroke, in

which case the elasticity imparted to the bed plate by the rubber stripsa allows it to yield sufficiently to prevent injury to the cutters.

In a patent granted to John McCollum,

` dated Maren 28,1852, No. 8,828, and reissued May 31, 1859,.N0. 780,the bea-tifa@ is described as being rendered elastic, so as to enable itto yield under the pressure of the cutters, by means of spiral springsunder the bedplate attached to lugs on theframc of the machine.

In my invention the same result is accomplishedV with equal efficiency,and in a more simple manner, by means of the rubber. If

lan unyielding bed-plate is desired,'however,

the rubber may be replaced by wood, iron, or other hard substance.

rl1he cutter-frame is constructed of three plates, G1 G2 G3, arranged inparallel planes The lower plate, G1, is provided at its ends, on thelower side, with projections g1, about equal to the thickness of thedough from which the crackers are to be cut. The middle plate, G2, isconnected to the lower pla-te by means of spiral springs g2, placedbetween said plates, near their edges or corners. The upper plate, G3,is connected with the lower and middle plates by means of posts or boltsg3which pass freely through 'holes in the middle plate, and have theirends rigidly attached to the lower and upper plates by riveting or byscrew-threads and nuts, so that the middle plate is free to rise andfall between the upper and lower ones. rllie cutters consist of hollowtubes h, of cylindrical or other form, according to the shape to begiven to the crackers. rllhese cutters are open at both ends, and theirupper ends are provided with lugs or. anges, by. means of which they areattached to the middle plate, G2, by

screws, rivets, or bolts, so that they may be removed and. replaced whendesired. rlheir lower ends or cutting-edges work freely in l holes inthe lower plate, G1, and when at rest they are about iiush with thelower surface of said plate. yThe cutters are provided with clearers,consisting of pistons or plungersp, which work freely in the cutters andin holes in the middle plate, and are secured to the upper plate by nutsengaging with scre\v.

Each clearer is prothreads formed on them. vided with two nuts, one ofwhich is placed above the upper plate, and the other below it, by whichmeans the clearers are adjusted to the proper positions with relation tothe lower plate a-nd the cutters, and by which means, also, the distancebetween the middle and upper plates, and the consequent pressure of thesprings g2, is regulated.

rEhe cutter-frame thus constructed is arranged and operated in themachineas follows: On the upper side of the middle plate G2, at or nearits ends, are two sockets, I I, corresponding in form with threads onthe lower ends of two bolts, J J, which 'pass through a cross-head, H,and are provided with nuts j at their upper ends. The sockets are opentoward one edge of the plate, and the cutter-frame is placed in positionon the cross-beam by moving it laterally, so as to cause the heads ofthe bolts to slip into the sockets, and is then secured by tighteningthe nuts j. By this arrangement the cutter-frame.

is readily removed and replaced when desired.

The cross-head H is arranged to work in 'vertical ways or guides in twostandards, K K, and has a vertical reciprocating motion imparted to itby means of eccentric rods k'k, driven by eccentrics l on the main shaftL. As said main shaft revolves the cutter-frame descends upon the doughand cuts the crack-V ers, and as the revolution of the shaft continuesthe cutter-frame rises and allows the dough to be fed forward to receiveanother cut. As the cutter-frame descends the projections g1 on thelower plate G1 strike the bed-plate B on either side of the apron A2,and arrest the downward motion of said plate. The middle plate G2continues its downward motion, depressing the cutters h, until theeccentric rods k reach and pass the lowest point in the revolution ofthe main shaft, whereupon the middle plate G2 rises until thecutting-edges of the cutters h are ush with the surface ofthe plate G1,and then the entire cutter-frame rises until it reaches its highestposition. As the cutter-frame rises the clearers i expel the crackersfrom the cutters, and leave them, with the scrap, on the apron A2, whichconveys them away and feeds up the fresh dough with an intermittentmotion as usual in cracker-machines of a similar character.

For operating the endless aprons with the usual intermittent motion, Iemploy mechanism arranged as follows: On the main shaft L, or thefly-wheel L2, attached thereto, is an adjustablecrank or wrist pin, Z2,which is connected by a rod, L3, with an arm, m1, on one end of arock-shaft, M, arranged transversely of the machine. At the other end ofthis rockshaft are two arms, m2 m3, ranged at any desired angle withrelation to each other and to the arm m1. The arm m2 is connected by arod mx2 with an arm, a1, which works loosely on a shaft, N, and carriesa pawl, n2, is rigidly attached to the end of said shaft N. The arm n1is connected by a rod, n2, with an arm, o1, which works loosely on ashaft, O, and carries a pawl, 02, engaging with a ratchet, o2, which isrigidly attached to the end of the shaft O. The arm m3 of therock-shaftM is connected by a rod, mxs, with one end of a double arm,p1, which works loosely on a shaft, P, and carries a pawl, p2, engagingwith a ratchet, p2, which is rigidly attached to the end of the shaft P.The other end of the arm p1 is connected by a rod, p, with an arm, g1,which works loosely on a shaft, Q, and carries a pawl, g2, engaging witha ratchet, g3, which is rigidly attached to the end of the shaft Q.

By this arrangement and combination of mechanism the rock-shaft Mreceives motion through its arm m1 from the main shaft, and

transmits it through its arm m2 to the shafts N and O, and through itsarm m3 to the shafts P and Q, so that as the main shaft revolves anintermittent rotary motion is imparted simultaneously to the four shaftsN 0 P Q.

By arranging and combining the parts in the manner described, I obviatethe necessity for the use of long crank-pins, such as have heretoforebeen used in machines of a similar character, and I -accomplish the sameresult in a more simple manner.

rllhe apron A2 passes around a roller, N', on the shaft N, and a smallerroller, NX, arranged nearly over the shaft O. The apron A1 passes arounda roller, O2, on the shaft O, and another roller, OX, near the oppositeend of -the machine. The apron A3 passes around a roller, P3, on theshaft P, and another roller, PX, near the delivery end ofthe machine.The apron A4 passes around a roller, Q4, on the shaft Q, and anotherroller, the apron A2.

As the four shafts N O P Q are rotated, as before described, the f'ouraprons A1 A2 A3 A4 receive the desired intermittent motion, and feed thedough to the cutters, and then convey the crackers and the scrap totheir respective receptacles.

For operating the pressure-rolls at the feed end of the machine I employmechanism arranged as follows:

On the main shaft L is a meshing into a stud-gear, B2, which, in turn,drives a gear, R2, in the same direction as the main shaft. The gear R3is attached to one end of a shaft, S, on the other end of which, at theopposite side of the machine, is a bevelgear, s1, meshing into anotherbevel-gear, s2, at the lower end of a shaft, S", which carries, at itsupper end, a bevel-gear, s2. The bevelgear-wheel, R1,

gear s3 meshes 'into a bevel-gear, t, on one-end which may be aroftheshaft of the lower engaging with a ratchet, a3, which.

under the roller Z, and is Q X, arranged over` lumps or doublethicknesses of pressure-roll T, which roll drives the upper roll T2 bymeans of gear; ing at the opposite ends.

The dough is fed into the machine over the feed-board U, and passesbetween the rollers T2 in the usual manner. It is then turneddownwardand passed under the crimping-roll W, which is located betweenthe roller 02 and the lower dough-roller T, and is arranged inadjustable bearings, so that its pressure against the dough-roller maybe regulated. The dough passes between the dough-rollers and under thecrimping-roll, as indicated by the arrow Ux in Fig. '4.

If desired, an ordinary crimping-roll, W2, may be used near thebed-plate, in the usual manner.

The brush V, for removing the superfluous flour from the dough, may bedriven by a band, c, from a pulley on one of the doughrollers.

The fingers Y2 are arranged, in the usual manner, near the delivery endof the machine. The fingers Y, for separating the crackers from thescrap, are arranged loosely upon a shaft, y, the ends of which areprovided with bearings in boxes y', which rest upon a plate, y", overwhich the apron A2 passes with the crackers and scrap. The boXes y areconnected, by pivoted links 21, with the roller QX, which is connected,by links e2, with a bar, z3, having its ends arranged in adjustablebearings in the frame A. The linger-shaft y is connected, by pivotedlinks zx, with a roller, Z, which lies on the apron A4, immediately overthe roller QX and bar z3.

Y As the scrap and crackers are carried along by the lapron A2, afterleaving the bed-plate and cutters, the fingers Y1 separate the crackersfrom the scrap. The crackers are carried by the apron A2 under the apronA4,`and deposited on the apron A3. rlhe scrap is passed carried by theapron A4 to a suitable receptacle.

The weight of the roller Z on the scrap exerts a sufficient amount ofpressure to insure its adherence to the apron, and prevent it from beingpulled or held back by theaction of the fingers in expelling thecrackers.

The flexible arrangement and connection of' the boxes y', thefinger-shaft, and the roller Z enables each part to yield, independentlyof the others, to any obstruction which may be presented by theaccidental introduction of dough, and to automatically resume the beingrelieved of' such obstruction;

What l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the bed-plate B and bed-supporting plate B2,provided-with the interposed strips a a., the inclined planes UX D, bar(l, and screw E, for raising and lowering the bed-plate, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination of the main shaft L, gearing R1 R2 R3, shafts S Sx,and bevel-gearproper position after 4 ing s1, s2, s3, and t, for drivingthe rolls T T2, shaft y by independent'links or rods z", which the Wholearranged as herein shown and deallow its ends to rise independently ofeach scribed. other substantially as described.

3. The arrangement of the crimping-roll Win adjustable bearings betweenthe dough- JOSEPH PARE. roller T and apron-roller O2, as shown and de-Witnesses: scribed, for the purpose specied. MICHAELRYAN,

4. The scrap-fell Z, attached to the nger- FRED. HAYNES.

